Meet Jesse

Jesse is 22 years old. When Jesse was born he had multiple medical complications: cerebral palsy, epilepsy, craniosynostosis, requiring 2 operations on his head, and other problematic medical issues calling for many procedures over the years. When Jesse was 4 years old, he received his first kidney transplant. The transplant was a success and Jesse was relatively healthy until he turned 21 when his kidneys began to fail again and he needed a second kidney transplant. ￼￼￼

In May 2015, Jesse was admitted to the hospital with a virus, which was difficult to cure because Jesse’s immune system is compromised. He received IV medications twice daily but the virus stayed in his system for 2 1/2 weeks. Then in June, he contracted another virus that took multiple medications to eliminate the virus from his system. This time his hospital stay extended over 2 months. Jesse’s mom receives In-Home Support Services, which is financial assistance program funded by the State of California Social Services to pay for full-time care for a disabled individual rather than relying on out-of-home care where nurses come to your home. While Jesse was in the hospital, the In-Home Support Services does not pay Jesse’s moo she did not receive any financial support for the past over 8 weeks. During this time, she was using her car extensively to travel back and forth from UCSF hospital to her home in Oakland. Her car needed some repairs to make the daily trips. The unexpected elimination of 2 months of pay and the car repairs caused the family to fall short on paying for their monthly basic living needs. Human Connexus Foundations is helping the family pay for their rent for the next few months so they can catch up on their bills.